Feed-cutter



W. W. MA'RSDBN.

Peed Gutter Patented Aug. 31,1880.

INVENTOR & ATTORNEY NFETERS, PHOTO I ITHQGRAFHE 1 rrED STATES PATENTFriesa WVILLIAM W. MARSDEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FEED-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,826, dated August31, 1880.

Application filedFcbruary 27, 1880. I

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. MARSDEN, ofBaltimore, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, haveinvented a new and valuable Improvement in Feed-Cutters and I do herebydeclare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal verticalsection of my improved feed-cutter. Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof, andFig. 3 is a detail view of the cuttor-wheel.

This invention has relation to improvements in feed-cutters; and thenature of the invention consists in the construction and novelarrangement of the parts of the machine, as will be hereinafter morefully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates the hopper supported bylegs a, and having on its under side bearings b for the shaft 0 of thecutting-wheel B.

The shaft 0 is arranged under the hopper in the direction of its lengthand somewhat to one side of the same, and is provided on its inner endwith a crank-wheel, 0, connected by means of a pitman, d, to the powerend of a horizontally-vibrating lever, e, having its fulcrum on theunder side of the hopper at a.

The lever c has an oscillating movement on its fulcrum, and its weightend is connected by means of a rod, f, to a vertically-vibratingcoupler, D, arranged upon a long staple, c, on the under side of thehopper. One arm, i, of this coupler is provided with spaced perforations0, for the adjustable attachment of the rod f, and the other arm, 6, ispivoted to the end of a pusher or feeder stem, g, extending through alongitudinal slot, h, in the bottom of the hopper, and provided on itsupper end, inside ofthe hopper, with a rake-head, J. This head ispreferably constructed with teeth of different lengths, and during itsbackward and forward movements passes over a fixed rakehead, j, on thebottom of the hopper between the cutting-wheel and the movable rake. Thelatter gives a forward movement to the feed, which, being caught by thefixed head, is prevented'from back ward displacement. Tile-forward andbackward motion of the rake J is caused by the connection set forth ofits stem or shank wit-h the crank-wheel O.

The cutting-wheel B is composed of a hub, a tire, and four spokes,dividing the rim or tire into four equal parts, the spokes upon oppositesides of the hub being in line with each other.

The spokes are lettered qq q (1 The spokes q and q are provided, closeto the hull), with offsets 1", extending inward toward the hopper, andthe spokes g g are provided with similar ofi'sets 1", rather nearer therim than the hubs.

The cutters 0r knives G are secured to offsets r, pass with a sharpcurve, l, to offsets r, thence, with a more flattened curve, Z, to anoffset, r, on the rim, the offsets r and r at the ends of each bladebeing on opposite sides of the hub, so that the blade passes around byan increasing spiral curve from one side of the hub to the rim on theother side. The blades are-thus sickle shaped, and when secured to theoffsets the outer end of each overlaps the inner end of the other, andeach includes the hub in the chord of its arc of curvature. The curvesof each blade are homogeneous, so that they may be struck out of a steelplate many at a time without waste of material. These blades workagainst a metallic plate, a, on the edge of the hopper, extending underthe bottom of the same, and cast with ears b, in which are journaled themain shaft, and with sockets lc for the reception of the legs.

The peculiar shape of the knives and their diametrically opposite andlateral position on the wheel gives two effective cuts the whole lengthof the plate a at each revolution of the wheel, each cut commencing atone end of the said plate, passing thence to the other end thereof, andthence extending from both ends toward its middle portion until thestraw gathered between the knife and the hopperbottom is severed.

Hinged to the under side of the middle of the movable rake J is a smalllifter, p, the free end of which abuts against the inclined front wallof the recess 0 of slot h, and slightly raises the said rake during itsforward movements, and during its backward movements falls back into therecess and'lowers the said rake to take fresh hold.

This device, by raising the rake-head from the bottom of the hopper,insures the forward feeding of the straw or hay, and the fixed toothedrake j prevents it from being retracted as the movable rake isretracted.

I am aware that it is not new to employ a spirally-curved knife startingat the side of the hub and extending by increasing curvature more thanhalf around the wheel, and that sickle-shaped knives running from thehub of the wheel are common. Therefore I do not claim such devicesbroadly.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hay and straw cutter, the combination, with a hopper, A, thecutting-wheel B, and the main shaft 0, having crank-wheel O, of thepitman d, the lever 0, rod f, coupler D, having arms '11 t", stem g,pivoted to arm 1" and extending through a slot in the hopperbottom, itsrake J, and the rake j, fixed to said bottom, the whole arranged'tooperate substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the hopper A, having slot h, with recess 0 atone end, and the fixed stop-rake j, of the movable reciprocating feedrake J, the lifter p, hinged to its under side and working in connectionWith the feed-rake to raise or lower it, substantially as specified.

3. In a feed-cutter, the combination, with the shaft 0 under the hopper,of the wheel B, having bearing-spokes q q q and bearingoffsets r 'r onopposite sides of the hub, and the opposite sickle-shaped knives Gr,having the concavities toward each other, each passing from a bearing,1", on one side of the hub,

by an increasing spiral curve, ll, to a bearing,

r, on the rim on the opposite side of the hub, thereby spanning the hub,which is in the chord of the are of curvature, substantially asspecified;

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

W. 'W. MARSDEN.

Witnesses H. D. SIIRIVER, ANDREW F. OARRICK.

